The U.S. intelligence community is working to understand how the vast array of changes being brought on by climbing global temperatures will affect American
interests at home and abroad. The physical climate changes nearly all scientists predict — melting glaciers, longer droughts, stronger storms — are happening in the context of existing problems. Intelligence analysts predict environmental impacts and human reactions will cascade on one another, creating both challenges and opportunities. Explore the connections:

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Reporting by Charles Mead and Annie SniderAbout: These 32 terms were distilled from National Intelligence Council studies, including Global Trends: 2025 and 12 NIC-commissioned reports on the regional impacts of climate change. All of the environmental impacts are drawn from the latest report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Additional reporting came from dozens of interviews with senior intelligence and military officials, academics, security experts and the world’s top climate scientists.